


View of Life

by orphan_account



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dark, Blood, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Female Reader, Foot Clan Au, Foot Donatello (TMNT), Foot Leonardo (TMNT), Foot Michelangelo, Foot Raphael (TMNT), Foot!Donnie, Foot!Leo, Foot!Turtles, Gen, Light Angst, One Shot, Reader-Insert, Rise of the TMNT, Rise!Turtles, Violence, foot!mikey, foot!raph, rottmnt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22725259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “It was alltheirfault. I know they were part of the reason that the mosquitoes were released to the entire city. It'stheirfault that we're forced to hide away like rats, that we can't roam the city without ducking our heads, those… thoseturtles.”
Relationships: Donatello (TMNT) & Reader, Donatello (TMNT)/Reader, Hypno-Potamus & Warren Stone, Hypno-Potamus (TMNT) & Reader, Leonardo (TMNT) & Reader, Leonardo (TMNT)/Reader, Meat Sweats (TMNT) & Reader, Michelangelo (TMNT) & Reader, Michelangelo (TMNT)/Reader, Raphael (TMNT) & Reader, Raphael (TMNT)/Reader, Repo Mantis (TMNT) & Reader, Warren Stone & Reader
Comments: 8
Kudos: 47





	View of Life

**Author's Note:**

> The turtles' personalities and appearances are based on the headcanons of this artist:  
> WOLFY-THE-BLACKWOLF on DeviantArt  
> Link:  
> https://www.deviantart.com/wolfy-the-blackwolf/art/RotTMNT-AU-Foot-Turtles-790878973
> 
> I HIGHLY suggest you go check them out! They're amazing!!

_“I'm just trying to do my job.”_

You gazed at the spot where the large mantis was standing a week ago. A tape recorder played in your right hand as your left hand gripped your knee. The slight smell of the salvage yard filled your nostrils and the slushy dirt stained your shoes. It was a slightly warm and humid night; the clouds covered the usual sight of decorative stars across the sky. The occasional breeze rustled the leaves of the trees in the distance. Your hair became slightly frizzy from the moisture, but you didn’t care at the moment. You could take a hair iron to it later. 

You've been doing this for a while now, interviewing the decided rejects of society. Rejects meaning no one would stay around them for more than five seconds. It turns out they had a lot of interesting things to say. However, most of it was them lamenting about adjusting to their radically changed lives. You were genuinely surprised when they agreed to tell their stories, as well as record them. They claimed it would make a mark for them in history, but you knew it was because no one else would listen to them. Maybe if humans weren’t scared of things that were different, the mutants would have a chance.

You felt bad for them, because you knew that deep down, they were still technically human. You couldn't imagine what it must have been like, to lose almost everything because of a small mosquito bite, having people who you thought loved you then look at you with nothing but disgust because of something you couldn’t control. The situation frightened you into wearing extra bug repellent and avoiding the outdoors most of the time. Not tonight though.

_“This is the only way I can make a living, but now that’s at risk too. What am I supposed to do then?”_

You saw something glint at the corner of your eye.

\-------

_“Cooking was my only passion. I was a pushy one, but many celebrity chefs are. I only wished to return to what I did best.”_

The vastness of the forest stretched out in front of you, presenting an abandoned grill. You could still hear the sizzling of the frying food and the sound of harsh chopping from shaky hands. The food he made was heavenly, and you considered yourself lucky for getting dinner from the one and only Rupert Swaggart.

They were angry, because they knew who caused all of this. But the people who unintentionally let loose the mosquitoes were too powerful, and much too dangerous. No one crossed their paths, not if they wanted to live. That didn't stop some mutants from constantly seeking vengeance; but most, prioritizing their safety, steered clear and tried to start something new.

The foot clan had complete control of the city. While it may not be noticeable at a simple glance of the surroundings, you could tell from the citizens' behavior, mostly at night. You’ve had the luck of never meeting any of the members in person. At first, everyone thought of the clan as a joke. After all, they literally had painted footprints on their faces. No one spared a glance. That changed when they started getting more aggressive, in addition to some hidden members finally making more solid appearances. The Hamato brothers were not to be messed with. Just hope you didn't get caught past curfew.

You’ve heard tales of the mutant turtles. Leonardo was known to “play” with his victims as long as he could before finishing them off. Death would be slow and painful. Unfortunately, he also seemed to possess a charming personality, sometimes luring rule breakers into a false sense of security. Raphael was their supposed leader, yet didn’t really act like it. He mostly let his brothers do most of the work, but he was extremely aggressive when he took action. However, his rage never compared Michelangelo’s. According to survivors (you weren’t sure if you could even say they survived), he had a very ill temper. They were at least thankful that he finished his job as soon as possible, not lingering on it like Leo. If you were caught doing something against the foot clan’s rules, one would always hope it was Donatello. Donnie usually let people go without much damage, and didn’t really attack unless provoked enough. Unfortunately, he wasn’t on patrol as often. Just the city’s luck.

_“I miss the sound of the audience clapping, I miss tasting the delightful food of the contestants, I miss their happy expressions when I would compliment them for once.”_

\-------

_“Ever since I was a lad, I believed magic was real. I believed everything would always work out in the end, no matter the odds.”_

The hippo's tricks amazed you. You remember a time when you were innocent, when you didn't need to constantly watch your back or contemplate whether to trust someone or not. You almost smiled from the fond memories of magicians performing at your birthday parties. The magicians must have felt pride when they saw children's eyes sparkle. To think that one unfortunate incident ripped that all away from him. A tragedy that magic couldn’t make this all go away.

_“But now I don't think it will.”_

\-------

_“It was the only thing keeping me going. Reporting was the one thing I was good at. It was the only reason people knew who I was.”_

They were all passionate about something. You thought the worm was lucky that he found the magician. Not everyone had someone to help them along the way. You were pretty sure if Warren Stone continued on alone, he would have gone and attacked the foot clan himself, bringing upon his own death. Not that you would've blamed him, the foot clan took away everything that was beautiful.

_“It was all **their** fault. I know they were part of the reason that the mosquitoes were released to the entire city. It's **their** fault that we're forced to hide away like rats, that we can't roam the city without ducking our heads, those… those **turtles**.”_

\-------

**“Give us the tapes.”**

You were standing near the edge of the docks with your back turned to the freezing waters. You could see four figures standing menacingly a few feet away, slightly illuminated by the light pole. Blood dripped from their weapons, hinting at the fact that they punished a few people while on their patrol. You prayed that your blood wouldn't stain them next.

You shook your head at the turtle wearing the orange bandana and clutched your bag. He narrowed his eyes at your answer, his scar on his left eye creasing. He tightened his grip on his kusari-fundo, making you draw in a quick breath.

How could you be so careless? You were smart enough to not roam the city past midnight, yet you weren’t smart enough to dodge the security cameras placed around New York? Just a simple decision of going right instead of left would’ve changed that. You were so impatient to get home before the dark hour that you didn’t take the time to think that you would leave behind clues for the foot clan to discover. 

Donatello sighed. He had bags under his eyes and seemed exhausted. He looked honestly sorry to put you in this situation.  
“Look, those tapes contain information about the mutants we're hunting down. If you cooperate, then we can all leave sooner, and you won't be punished badly, _probably_ ,” he mumbled the last part.

No, no you wouldn't give them what they wanted, not if it put anyone else in danger. The mutants suffered enough. They didn’t have to tell you anything, they chose to. They trusted that you wouldn’t use the tapes with ill intentions. You weren’t about to take away the few things in life they had left.

Gulping, you stepped back closer to the edge of the dock to create more distance. You tried not to think of the possibility of falling off. You didn't know how to swim. Or maybe you did at one point, but you forgot. You looked back at the turtles, trying to prevent your lip from quivering and the tears threatening to spill over from the anxiety.

The red-eared slider jumped off the crate he was standing on, his black and blue bandana swinging over his right shoulder. He looked you up and down with a smirk.

“Guys, let's just grab the tapes and deal with her after, it's not like she can fight back. Besides, I wanna take my sweet time with this one,” he stated, licking his lips. 

Your vision started to blur from the wetness in your eyes. It was true, they could take you down in under 5 seconds. You didn’t stand even a slight chance, you were never one to fight, only avoid.

Raphael began to visibly get impatient and let out a low growl.  
“We're not playing games, hand them over, _now_.”

But you had something else that they wanted more.

You grabbed a shiny piece of metal and held it over the water. All four pairs of eyes widened as they realized what you had in your possession.

“Isn't that-,” Raph started.

“An armor piece?” Donnie finished.

Thank god, it really was what the foot clan was looking for. You didn't know all the specific details, but you know they were scavenging for these pieces like mad dogs. It couldn’t be for anything good, but hopefully you could use that to your advantage. 

You let the armor piece slip a little in your hand.

“Whoa whoa, watch yourself!” Raph panicked.

Leo and Mikey looked at each other as if coming to an agreement. Mikey nodded his head granting permission, and Leo stepped forward holding his hands up.  
“Alright, we see what you're doing,” he said with a grin.  
“And we’ll go along with it. Give us that piece, and we'll let you go with the tapes, no harm done, _for now_.”

You didn't trust him, but it was the response you should’ve expected. Would it even be worth it? If the piece of armor was more important to them than the tapes, then how much more damage were they planning? It would be as if the tapes wouldn’t even matter in the end. Your gut screamed at you “No!”   
You listened.

“No,” you softly said. You threw the armor piece, along with the tapes, into the water. What have you done.

With one swift movement, Mikey swung his kusari-fundo around your left leg, making a deep cut. He pulled you towards him, sending you flying backwards onto the floor. You stared up seeing the four turtles surround you while pointing their weapons. You made a small fearful noise, your tears finally spilling over.

“I was gonna go easy on you, I really was. Tsk, such a shame,” Mikey said, his voice dangerously low.

The last thing you saw were the turtles' markings glowing in the dark, along with their completely white eyes staring down at you.

**Author's Note:**

> Ooof I've been itching to see a reader insert with some Foot!Turtles from the Rise iteration. I haven't found _one!_ I really like the show, and there aren't a lot of foot clan turtles reader inserts in general, so PLEASE let me know if there are any good ones I should check out!   
> Anyway, I'm hoping to find some other rise fans that are into this stuff, and please give me criticism so I can improve in the future! I don't know if any of you would like for me to write some more reader-inserts with foot turtles (maybe some "romantic" interactions? I haven't tried those before), but I would be happy to try! And I would love it if you would leave a comment (I love interacting with you guys!!)


End file.
